Sounding out Dysphagia: Using a Digital Stethoscope to Assess Audiometric Differences in Swallowing.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Gastroenterology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Clinical swallow evaluation (CSE) is subjective and has limited diagnostic accuracy.
• Dysphagia detection can be improved with objective measures.
• Audiometric data offers a potential non-invasive method to assess swallowing function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if superficial audiometric data can enhance the detection of swallowing dysfunction.
• To examine audiometric differences between normal and dysfunctional swallows using Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) and a digital stethoscope.

Main Methods:

• A single-center prospective study involving adult patients undergoing FEES for dysphagia.
• A digital stethoscope was placed on the neck to collect audiometric data during swallowing.
• Audiometric data (duration, amplitude, frequency) were analyzed and compared to Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) and Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale (YPS) scores.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in swallow duration, peak amplitude, and median frequency were observed between normal and dysfunctional swallows.
• Patients with higher PAS scores (≥3) exhibited prolonged swallow duration, lower peak amplitudes, and reduced median frequencies.
• Higher YPS scores correlated with longer swallow duration and lower median frequencies.

Conclusions:

• Audiometric analysis of swallow sounds reveals significant acoustic differences associated with dysphagia.
• These findings suggest that audiometric data may serve as a valuable adjunct to standard clinical swallow evaluations.
• Digital stethoscope-based acoustic analysis presents a promising, non-invasive tool for dysphagia assessment.